FROM CARDIAC OPTICAL IMAGING DATA TO BODY SURFACE ECG: A THREE DIMENSIONAL VENTRICLE MODEL

Understanding the mechanisms behind unexplained abnormal heart rhythms is important for diagnosis and prevention of arrhythmias. Many studies have investigated the mechanisms at organ, tissue, cellular and molecular levels. There is considerable information available from tissue level experiments that investigate local action potential properties and from optical imaging to observe activity propagation properties at an organ level. By combining those electrophysiological properties together, in the present study we developed a simulation model that can help in estimation of the resulting body surface potentials from a specific electrical activity pattern within the myocardium. Some of the potential uses of our model include: 1) providing visualization of an entire electrophysiological event, i.e. surface potentials and associated source which would be optical imaging data, 2) estimation of QT intervals resulting from local action potential property changes, 3) aiding in improving defibrillation therapy by determining optimal timing and location of shocks

Numerical Simulation of Rotor Flow Field Based on Overset Grids and Several Spatial and Temporal Discretization Schemes

AbstractA numerical method based on solutions of Euler/Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations is developed for calculating the flow field over a rotor in hover. Jameson central scheme, van Leer flux-vector splitting scheme, advection upwind splitting method (AUSM) scheme, upwind AUSM/van Leer scheme, AUSM+ scheme and AUSMDV scheme are implemented for spatial discretization, and van Albada limiter is also applied. For temporal discretization, both explicit Runge-Kutta method and implicit lower-upper symmetric Gauss-Seidel (LU-SGS) method are attempted. Simultaneously, overset grid technique is adopted. In detail, hole-map method is utilized to identify intergrid boundary points (IGBPs). Furthermore, aimed at identification issue of donor elements, inverse-map method is implemented. Eventually, blade surface pressure distributions derived from numerical simulation are validated compared with experimental data, showing that all the schemes mentioned above have the capability to predict the rotor flow field accurately. At the same time, vorticity contours are illustrated for analysis, and other characteristics are also analyzed

Effect of Turbulence Models on Simulated Iced Aircraft Airfoil

The present work describes a computational study of aerodynamic characteristics of GLC305 airfoil clean and with 16.7 min ice shape (rime 212) and 22.5 min ice shape (glaze 944).The performance of turbulence models SA, Kε, Kω Std, and Kω SST model are observed against experimental flow fields at different Mach numbers 0.12, 0.21, 0.28 in a range of Reynolds numbers 3x106, 6x106, and 10.5x106 on clean and iced aircraft airfoil GLC305. Numerical predictions include lift, drag and pitching moment coefficients at different Mach numbers and at different angle of attacks were done. Accuracy of solutions with respect to the effects of turbulence models, variation of Mach number, initial conditions, grid resolution and grid spacing near the wall made the study much sensitive. Navier Stokes equation based computational technique is used. Results are very close to the experimental results. It has seen that SA and SST models are more efficient than Kε and Kω standard in under study problem

Analysis of temperature field for a surface-mounted and interior permanent magnet synchronous motor adopting magnetic-thermal coupling method

Aiming at obtaining high power density of surface-mounted and interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (SIPMSM), it is important to accurately calculate the temperature field distribution of SIPMSM, and a magnetic-thermal coupling method is proposed. The magnetic-thermal coupling mechanism is analyzed. The thermal network model and finite element model are built by this method, respectively. The effects of power frequency on iron losses and temperature fields are analyzed by the magnetic-thermal coupling finite element model under the condition of rated load, and the relationship between the load and temperature field is researched under the condition of the synchronous speed. In addition, the equivalent thermal network model is used to verify the magnetic-thermal coupling method. Then the temperatures of various nodes are obtained. The results show that there are advantages in both computational efficiency and accuracy for the proposed coupling method, which can be applied to other permanent magnet motors with complex structures

Live Cells Exert 3-Dimensional Traction Forces on Their Substrata

The traction forces exerted by an adherent cell on a substrate have been studied only in the two-dimensions (2D) tangential to substrate surface (Txy). We developed a novel technique to measure the three-dimensional (3D) traction forces exerted by live bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) on polyacrylamide deformable substrate. On 3D images acquired by confocal microscopy, displacements were determined with image-processing programs, and traction forces in tangential (XY) and normal (Z) directions were computed by finite element method (FEM). BAECs generated traction force in normal direction (Tz) with an order of magnitude comparable to Txy. Tz is upward at the cell edge and downward under the nucleus, changing continuously with a sign reversal between cell edge and nucleus edge. The method was evaluated regarding accuracy and precision of displacement measurements, effects of FE mesh size, displacement noises, and simple bootstrapping. These results provide new insights into cell-matrix interactions in terms of spatial and temporal variations in traction forces in 3D. This technique can be applied to study live cells to assess their biomechanical dynamics in conjunction with biochemical and functional activities, for investigating cellular functions in health and disease

Power conversion and signal transmission integration method based on dual modulation of DC-DC converters

For the development of communication systems such as Internet of Things, integrating communication with power supplies is an attractive solution to reduce supply cost. This paper presents a novel method of power/signal dual modulation (PSDM), by which signal transmission is integrated with power conversion. This method takes advantage of the intrinsic ripple initiated in switch mode power supplies as signal carriers, by which cost-effective communications can be realized. The principles of PSDM are discussed, and two basic dual modulation methods (specifically PWM/FSK and PWM/PSK) are concluded. The key points of designing a PWM/FSK system, including topology selection, carrier shape, and carrier frequency, are discussed to provide theoretical guidelines. A practical signal modulation-demodulation method is given, and a prototype system provides experimental results to verify the effectiveness of the proposed solution

Wireless power and data transfer via a common inductive link using frequency division multiplexing

For wireless power transfer (WPT) systems, communication between the primary side and the pickup side is a challenge because of the large air gap and magnetic interferences. A novel method, which integrates bidirectional data communication into a high-power WPT system, is proposed in this paper. The power and data transfer share the same inductive link between coreless coils. Power/data frequency division multiplexing technique is applied, and the power and data are transmitted by employing different frequency carriers and controlled independently. The circuit model of the multiband system is provided to analyze the transmission gain of the communication channel, as well as the power delivery performance. The crosstalk interference between two carriers is discussed. In addition, the signal-to-noise ratios of the channels are also estimated, which gives a guideline for the design of mod/demod circuits. Finally, a 500-W WPT prototype has been built to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed WPT system

Novel Approaches Reveal that \u3cem\u3eToxoplasma gondii\u3c/em\u3e Bradyzoites within Tissue Cysts Are Dynamic and Replicating Entities \u3cem\u3eIn Vivo\u3c/em\u3e

Despite their critical role in chronic toxoplasmosis, the biology of Toxoplasma gondii bradyzoites is poorly understood. In an attempt to address this gap, we optimized approaches to purify tissue cysts and analyzed the replicative potential of bradyzoites within these cysts. In order to quantify individual bradyzoites within tissue cysts, we have developed imaging software, BradyCount 1.0, that allows the rapid establishment of bradyzoite burdens within imaged optical sections of purified tissue cysts. While in general larger tissue cysts contain more bradyzoites, their relative occupancy was typically lower than that of smaller cysts, resulting in a lower packing density. The packing density permits a direct measure of how bradyzoites develop within cysts, allowing for comparisons across progression of the chronic phase. In order to capture bradyzoite endodyogeny, we exploited the differential intensity of TgIMC3, an inner membrane complex protein that intensely labels newly formed/forming daughters within bradyzoites and decays over time in the absence of further division. To our surprise, we were able to capture not only sporadic and asynchronous division but also synchronous replication of all bradyzoites within mature tissue cysts. Furthermore, the time-dependent decay of TgIMC3 intensity was exploited to gain insights into the temporal patterns of bradyzoite replication in vivo. Despite the fact that bradyzoites are considered replicatively dormant, we find evidence for cyclical, episodic bradyzoite growth within tissue cysts in vivo. These findings directly challenge the prevailing notion of bradyzoites as dormant nonreplicative entities in chronic toxoplasmosis and have implications on our understanding of this enigmatic and clinically important life cycle stage. IMPORTANCE: The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii establishes a lifelong chronic infection mediated by the bradyzoite form of the parasite within tissue cysts. Technical challenges have limited even the most basic studies on bradyzoites and the tissue cysts in vivo. Bradyzoites, which are viewed as dormant, poorly replicating or nonreplicating entities, were found to be surprisingly active, exhibiting not only the capacity for growth but also previously unrecognized patterns of replication that point to their being considerably more dynamic than previously imagined. These newly revealed properties force us to reexamine the most basic questions regarding bradyzoite biology and the progression of the chronic phase of toxoplasmosis. By developing new tools and approaches to study the chronic phase at the level of bradyzoites, we expose new avenues to tackle both drug development and a better understanding of events that may lead to reactivated symptomatic disease

Extent of Safety Database in Pediatric Drug Development: Types of Assessment, Analytical Precision, and Pathway for Extrapolation through On-Target Effects

Pediatric patients should have access to medicines that have been appropriately evaluated for safety and efficacy. Given this goal of revised labelling, the adequacy of the pediatric clinical development plan and resulting safety database must inform a favorable benefit-risk assessment for the intended use of the medicinal product. While extrapolation from adults can be used to support efficacy of drugs in children, there may be a reluctance to use the same approach in safety assessments, wiping out potential gains in trial efficiency through a reduction of sample size. To address this reluctance, we explore safety review in pediatric trials, including factors affecting these data, specific types of safety assessments, and precision on the estimation of event rates for specific adverse events (AEs) that can be achieved. In addition, we discuss the assessments which can provide a benchmark for the use of extrapolation of safety that focuses on on-target effects. Finally, we explore a unified approach for understanding precision using Bayesian approaches as the most appropriate methodology to describe/ascertain risk in probabilistic terms for the estimate of the event rate of specific AEs